The interior of an automobile heats up considerable when parked in the sun. The increased temperature of the car interior and particularly the seats results in major discomfort to the user upon entering the automobile. Also, heat build up inside the car can damage the car's interior such as plastic and fabric components. Heat can damage any heat sensitive objects placed inside the automobile such as food or photographic film. The sun's ultraviolet light damages plastic parts such as the dashboard and causes fading of fabric or other seat covering materials.
Various covers have been devised to protect automobiles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,421 (Fasiska, 1993) discloses an automobile cover system which covers substantially all outside surfaces except the bottom. U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,933 (Gillem, 1991) discloses a car cover consisting of a main panel and side panels, to substantially cover the roof and window areas. U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,892 (Yeh, 1990) discloses a vehicle cover and method of making same. The '892 cover comprises adjacent panels wherein the four side panels are joined to a roof panel. When the cover is placed on the roof and window areas of a vehicle the side panels overlap at the four comers. The overlapping corners are fastened onto one another. Fasteners are locked around the outside mirrors. Yeh provides magnets to provide a holding force to withstand wind. U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,276 (Madison, 1990) discloses a car cover consisting of a flat pliable material for covering the roof and window areas. Slits allow opening of the car doors without removal of the cover. The cover is locked onto the vehicle by means of straps which lock onto the doors and the trunk lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,216 (McKee, 1989) discloses a sun and snow vehicle cover for covering the roof and window areas. The flexible cover material has a plurality of raised portions to prevent the material from collapsing between the raised portions. Drainage ports are provided near the peripheral edge. Preferably, magnets secure the cover to the car. Straps anchor the cover to opposite sides of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,324 (Carden, 1989) discloses a cover consisting of a flexible insulating material for the cab portion of an automobile. The cover is attached to the door, trunk and windshield wipers and has a slit to provide access to the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,197 (Fischer, 1980) discloses weather protection systems for road vehicles. The cover comprises two protector pans, each extending over one half of the cab such that the roof and window areas are completely covered when the parts are joined. Magnets secure the bottom edge of the cover to the car. The bottom edges can also be secured to the door handles and wheel apertures by means of rubber cords.
The '892, '216 and '197 patents utilize magnets to assist in fastening the cover to the car. Magnets however, are not effective for car bodies made of plastic, stainless steel or aluminum. Also, magnets do not provide attachment to glass surfaces such as windows.
It is believed that a partial sunshield covering the roof and window areas is more susceptible to wind action than a full size sunshield covering the entire automobile, such as, for example, the '421 Fasiska cover. Wind which blows against the side of the automobile is deflected underneath the partial sunshield, while this generally does not occur when a full size sunshield is used. However, partial sunshields are generally preferred over full size sunshields since partial sunshields are less expensive and less cumbersome to handle than full size sunshields.
Known sunshields for covering the roof and window areas do not provide optimal wind resistance. For example, the Gillem '933 and Madison '276 covers are not fitted snugly over the roof and window areas, thus allowing wind access underneath the cover. The Yeh '892 cover is believed to allow significant wind access through the overlapping corners. The McKee '216, Carden '324 and Fischer '197 covers can be snugly fitted but these covers have no provision for quickly relieving wind pressure from underneath the respective covers. Covers which allow wind access and covers which have no provision for quickly relieving wind pressure from underneath the cover can be blown off the automobile or damaged during windy weather conditions.
Accordingly, the need exists for an automobile sunshield covering the roof and window areas having improved wind resistance.
A variety of theft deterrent systems are used with car covers as exemplified in the above referenced patents. For example, the Yeh '892 patent teaches a system of locking a cover onto the vehicle's outside mirrors, the Madison '276 patent teaches the use of fastening straps which lock between the doors and the vehicle body, and the joint between the trunk lid and the vehicle body, the Carden '324 patent theft deterrent system includes a rear tubular member on the bottom of the back portion of the cover for insertion between the trunk lid and the car body.
Generally, the known theft deterrent systems of car covers rely on cover appendages such as additionally straps or tubular members which are secured to the car. Upon severing the appendages, a thief still has a useful cover since the remaining cover will provide sunlight protection to the roof and window areas. The straps and other appendages are thus thought to be relatively ineffective theft deterrents. Also, theft deterrent systems relying on locking onto the trunk are not effective for automobiles without a trunk, such as, for example, station wagons, vans, minibuses and trucks.
Accordingly, the need exists for an automobile sunshield covering the roof and window areas having improved theft deterrence.